Nancy Wu () (born 9 September 1981) is a

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

contracted to

TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB; zh, t=電視廣播有限公司) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong. The company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Canton ...

and Shaw Brothers Pictures. Wu won the

TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress The TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role is one of the TVB Anniversary Awards presented annually by Television Broadcasts Limited Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB; zh, t=電視廣播有限公司) is a television bro ...

consecutively in 2015 and 2016. Some of the roles she is best known for include Wan Wan in ''Twin Of Brothers'' (2004); Eva in ''Forensic Heroes III'' (2011); Ting Ting in ''Gloves Come Off'' (2012); Coco in ''

Triumph in the Skies II ''Triumph in the Skies II'' () is a 2013 television drama produced by TVB under executive producer Tommy Leung. It is a direct sequel to TVB's 2003 blockbuster television drama '' Triumph in the Skies''. It stars Francis Ng, Julian Cheung, My ...

'' (2013); Gin in ''Ghost Of Relativity'' (2015); Tiu Lan in ''A Fist Within Four Walls'' (2016); To Man in ''Mission Run'' (2022); Sarah in ''Narcotic Heroes'' (2023); and Seventh Master in ''No Return'' (2024).

Early life

Wu was born and raised in the

Central and Western District The Central and Western District (, ) located on northwestern part of Hong Kong Island is one of the districts of Hong Kong, 18 administrative districts of Hong Kong. It had a population of 243,266 in 2016. The district has the most educated ...

of Hong Kong. She has parents, and a younger brother. Her father managed the family seafood shop in

Sai Wan Sai Wan (Chinese: 西環), also known as Western district, or simply Western, is an area in Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong that corresponds to Sai Ying Pun, Shek Tong Tsui, Belcher Bay and Kennedy Town. It formed part of the City of Victo ...

, but closed it in 2002 due to the economy. As the eldest daughter of the family, Wu began working to help support the family finances while studying, and later graduating from St. Margaret's Girls' College. Wu sang in school choir while she was in primary school; played track and field, and participated in a dance troupe while in secondary school.

Career

Wu worked as a secretary prior to entering the entertainment industry. Unlike many of her best friends and colleagues who became actresses by competing in beauty pageants, Wu entered through singing, and modelling competitions. In 1999, Wu participated in TVB's 18th Annual

New Talent Singing Awards New Talent Singing Awards ( zh, t=新秀歌唱大賽) or ''NTSA'' for short, later re-organised into New Talent Singing Awards International Finals ( zh, t=全球華人新秀歌唱大賽 or ''NTSA International Finals'' for short), and most curr ...

competition and finished in fourth place. In 2001, she entered TVB's 3rd Annual Cover Girl Competition and won the Most Photogenic Award, the Most Fit Award, the Most Attractive Award, and the Overall Winner Award. Following that, she enrolled in the 18th TVB Acting Class and entered the entertainment industry. The initial stage of Wu's acting career was marked by cameos and minor character roles in numerous TV shows often

cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William ...

as a villain, either a temptress, a mistress, or a concubine. Her biggest, most memorable role early on was in '' Twin of Brothers'' as the free-spirited seductress Wan Wan. Her success in tackling the challenging role and turning Wan Wan into a cult favorite character gained Wu attention early in her career. Wu gained more recognition in 2008 where she won the Most Improved Female Artiste award at the TVB Anniversary Awards for her performances in '' D.I.E.'', '' The Silver Chamber of Sorrows'', the ''Wars of In-Laws II'', and ''Legend of the Demigods''; and additionally nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Ha Fei Fei in ''The Silver Chamber of Sorrows''. From 2009 to 2011, Wu was cast in major supporting roles in a number of popular and memorable dramas including ''Rosy Business'', ''No Regrets'', ''Gun Metal Grey'', ''

Forensic Heroes III ''Forensic Heroes III'' () is a 2011 Hong Kong police procedural television drama produced by Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB). It stars Wayne Lai, Maggie Cheung, Kate Tsui, Ron Ng, Aimee Chan, Edwin Siu, Nancy Wu and Ruco Chan in the ...

'', and '' D.I.E. Again''. ''Forensic Heroes III'' marked the first time Wu was cast in a more serious, intellectual role as Eva Chow, a capable barrister best remembered by the audience for her ambition and arrogance. In 2012, Wu won the Best Supporting Actress awards at the TVB Anniversary Awards, and at the Asian Television Awards for her breakthrough performance in '' Gloves Come Off'' where she portrayed a deaf Muay Ying, or female

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

boxer; her convincing performance required learning

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with #Non-manual elements, no ...

as well as boxing, and stunt choreography. The role also redefined Wu's onscreen image as an action heroine, and not simply a villain, or a concubine. Additionally, Wu received a Long Service Award from

for her contributions to the company. A year later, she won the TVB Star Award Malaysia for Favourite TVB Supporting Actress for her reprise role as CoCo in ''

'' wherein she portrays a woman undergoing the emotional tribulations of becoming a

surrogate mother Surrogacy is an arrangement whereby a woman gets pregnant and gives birth on behalf of another person or couple who will become the child's legal parents after birth. People pursue surrogacy for a variety of reasons such as infertility, danger ...

for a friend. Wu stated she strives for improvement with every role, working hard, and learning from fellow actors with the goal of being a leading actress. Among the actors Wu has worked with the most, and appearing onscreen together as a couple, has been

Wayne Lai Lai Yiu-cheung (; born 4 May 1964), better known as Wayne Lai, is a Hong Kong actor. He became one of Hong Kong's most successful television actors after starring in TVB hit drama series '' Rosy Business''. Lai won three TVB Anniversary Awar ...

with ''No Return'' being their 8th collaboration. In 2015 and 2016, Wu consecutively won both the

and the TVB Star Awards Malaysia My Favourite TVB Actress award for ''Ghost of Relativity'', and for her performance as the memorable, and iconic Tiu Lan in '' A Fist Within Four Walls''. Since 2016, Wu has played leading roles on TV, and have been nominated, and won major awards during TVB Anniversary Awards, TVB Star Awards Malaysia, StarHub TVB Award, People's Choice awards, and other organizations. Wu credits her success on family, and friends in particular leading actress

Myolie Wu Myolie Wu Hang-yee (born 6 November 1979) is a Hong Kong actress and singer. She is previously managed by Hong Kong TVB television station and Neway Star. In 2011, she won Best Actress for her role in '' Curse of the Royal Harem'', Most Favour ...

who encouraged Wu early on her career. Wu has been involved in other performative works. She performed in the 2018 staging of ''By Chance: Xu Zhimo'' with

Steven Ma Steven Ma Chun-Wai (born 26 October 1971) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. In 1993, Ma won a record deal after winning first place at an annual singing contest in Hong Kong, later releasing his debut album, ''Lucky for Meeting You'' (幸運� ...

where she sung

Kunqu Kunqu (), also known as Kunju (), K'un-ch'ü, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from a music style local to Kunshan, part of the Wu (region), Wu cultural area, and later came to dominate ...

opera and danced with 3-meter length

water sleeves Water sleeves (Chinese: 水袖; pinyin: shuǐxiù) are long, flowing silk sleeve extensions attached to the Cuff, cuffs of Chinese opera costume, costumes in Chinese opera, widely used by both male and female characters of higher social classes. ...

. In the same year, Wu appeared in the film ''Men on the Dragon'' where she was nominated for Best New Performer at the 38th Hong Kong Film Awards, and won Best New Performer at the Movie6 Movie Awards. In 2024, Wu appeared in the movie ''Rob N Roll''. In 2020, Wu signed a contract with Shaw Brothers Pictures.

Advertising work

Wu has been a paid spokesperson for Vita Green since 2014. She has also been the spokesperson for Suisse Programme since 2019.

Advocacy work

Wu has done volunteer, promotional, and charity work with various organizations, and events. She participated in the 2018 ''

Ronald McDonald House Charities Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is an independent American nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. RMHC has a global network of ...

Hong Kong Open Day'' event, and promoted the organization's fundraiser in 2019. In 2020, Wu visited Nepal as a

Plan International Plan International is a development and humanitarian organisation based in the United Kingdom that works in over 80 countries across Africa, the Americas, and Asia, focusing on children’s rights. In 2024, Plan International reached 43 million ...

ambassador advocating for girl rights and gender equality, and has participated in charitable fundraisers for the organization including ''Shine Together'' in 2022, and ''Run for Girls'' in 2023 and 2024. Wu, along with William So, and Kimbee Chan participated in the 125th Anniversary celebration launch of Ebenezer School & Home for the Visually Impaired in 2021. She sang in a ''Food for Good'' fundraising dinner in 2023. In 2024, Wu visited Ethiopia as a Plan International ambassador, and narrated a

female genital mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM) (also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision) is the cutting or removal of some or all of the vulva for non-medical reasons. Prevalence of female ge ...

awareness video for the organization.

Personal life

Nancy Wu is best friends with

, Paisley Wu, Elaine Yiu, Selena Lee and

Mandy Wong Mandy Wong Chi-Man (born 21 December 1982) is a Hong Kong actress previously contracted to TVB. She is currently under the management of Supreme Art Entertainment. Wong began her acting career by participating in the Miss Hong Kong 2007 beauty ...

. They formed the sisterhood group “胡說八道會” after the Chinese idiom “ 胡說八道”, meaning "nonsense talk", in addition to several members sharing the same last name, Wu “胡”. In 2017, the group filmed a travel show together called '' The Sisterhood Traveling Gang''. The show won the TVB Star Awards Malaysia Favorite TVB variety show, and the SINA Weibo Star Award for Awesome Variety Show. Wu is friends with

Rosina Lam Rosina Lam (Chinese: 林夏薇; Jyutping: Lam4 Ha6-mei4; born 30 June 1987) is a Hong Kong people, Hong Kong actress currently signed with :zh:邵氏兄弟, Shaw Brothers Pictures. Biography Early life Rosina Lam is the only child of her family ...

when filming the drama '' Short End of the Stick'', and with Alex Fong whom they met as teenagers. While she is happy with her best friends, Wu has stated is not so easy to find somebody to entrust for life. Her previous partners include

Deep Ng Deep Ng is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actor. He is the winner of the 21st annual New Talent Singing Awards Hong Kong Regional Finals. Deep was well received by the viewers since the New Talent Singing Awards in 2002. His first EP ''Deep' ...

(2006-2008), Kenneth Ma, (2008-2010), Patt Sham (2011-2014), and Terry Chan (2015-2016). Wu maintains a healthy, active lifestyle. Due to their common interest in long-distance running, Wu along with

Benjamin Yuen Yuen Wai-ho (Simplified Chinese: 袁伟豪; Traditional Chinese: 袁偉豪, born May 11, 1981), better known as Benjamin Yuen is a Hong Kong actor and singer contracted to TVB and Shaw Brothers Pictures. Yuen’s career started when he became ...

, Joel Chan, Brian Tse,

Jack Wu Jack Wu Lok Yin ( Chinese: 胡诺言; pinyin: Hú Nuòyán, born on 23 August 1977) is a Hong Kong actor, singer and TV host, currently a basic artist contract artist of TVB. Background and Family In his early years, Jack Wu grew up in Lei Mu ...

, Paisley Wu, Elaine Yiu, Selena Lee and

formed the group "Crazy Runner". In 2018, Wu saved enough money to purchase a large house for her parents in

Tuen Mun Tuen Mun () or Castle Peak is an area near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in what is now Hong Kong and can be dated to the Neolithic period. In the mo ...

. She considers family important, spending time with her dad; and did not attend the 2023 TVB Anniversary Awards ceremony in order to celebrate her parents’ anniversary.

Filmography

Television dramas (TVB)

Television dramas (Shaw Brothers Pictures)

Variety shows

TV movies

Films

Music videos

Discography

Awards and nominations

1999

* TVB 18th Annual

: 4th place

2000

* TVB Magazine 3rd Annual CoverGirl Competition: Mei Bo Lin Most Attractive Award * TVB Magazine 3rd Annual CoverGirl Competition: Nikon Most Photogenic Award * TVB Magazine 3rd Annual CoverGirl Competition: California Fitness Most Fit Award * TVB Magazine 3rd Annual CoverGirl Competition: Overall Winner Award

2008

* Strictly Come Dancing – Season II: 2nd Runner-up * TVB Anniversary Awards: Most Improved Female Artiste * TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated - TVB.com Popular Award * TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated op 5- Best Supporting Actress ( The Silver Chamber of Sorrows)

2009

* TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated Top 10 - Best Supporting Actress ( Rosy Business)

2010

TVB Anniversary Awards The TVB Anniversary Awards (), officially known as the TVB Awards Presentation, is an annual awards ceremony honouring TVB's programming achievements in Hong Kong television; despite claims that it is the region's equivalent to the American E ...

: Nominated op 5- Best Supporting Actress ( Gun Metal Grey)

2011

: Nominated op 5- Best Supporting Actress (

) * My Astro On Demand Favourites Awards: My Favourite Potential Female Artiste

2012

: Best Supporting Actress (Gloves Come Off) *

Asian Television Awards The Asian Television Awards, founded in 1996, is an appreciation to recognize and reward programming and production excellence in the Asian television industry. Held every December, it comprises 56 categories across news, documentaries and curre ...

: Best Supporting Actress (Gloves Come Off) * My Astro On Demand Favourites Awards: My Favourite Supporting Actress (Gloves Come Off)

2013

: Nominated op 5- Best Supporting Actress (Triumph in the Skies II) * TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated op 10- Most Popular Female Character (Triumph in the Skies II) * TVB Star Awards Malaysia: Favourite TVB Supporting Actress (

) * TVB Star Awards Malaysia: Top 15 Favourite TVB Drama Characters (Triumph in the Skies II) * TVB Star Awards Malaysia: Favourite TVB On-screen Couple (Triumph in the Skies II with

Him Law Him Law Tze-yat (born Law Chung-him on 28 August 1984) is a Hong Kong actor currently contracted to TVB. Law began his acting career by starring as supporting characters in several well-known films, most notably in '' Mob Sister'' (2005), whic ...

)

2014

* TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated op 10- Most Popular Female Character (Overachievers) * TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated op 10- Best Supporting Actress (Gilded Chopsticks) * TVB Star Awards Malaysia: Top 15 Favourite TVB Drama Characters (The Ultimate Addiction) * StarHub TVB Awards: My Favourite TVB Female TV Characters ( The Ultimate Addiction)

2015

: Best Actress (Ghost of Relativity) * TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated op 5- Most Popular Female Character (Ghost of Relativity) * TVB Star Awards Malaysia: My Favourite TVB Actress (Ghost of Relativity) * TVB Star Awards Malaysia: Top 16 Favourite TVB Drama Characters (Ghost of Relativity) * StarHub TVB Awards: My Favourite TVB Female Drama Characters ( Ghost of Relativity) * Yahoo!Asia Buzz Awards: Most Searched Female TV Artistes

2016

* Jade Solid Gold Awards: Best Group Song (A Fist Within Four Walls' "Never Know You Are the Best") * Jade Solid Gold Awards: Honour Award (A Fist Within Four Walls' "Never Know You Are the Best") *

: Best Actress (A Fist Within Four Walls) * TVB Anniversary Awards: Most Popular Drama Theme Song (Never Know You Are the Best with Ruco Chan) * TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated op 5- Most Popular Female Character (A Fist Within Four Walls) * TVB Star Awards Malaysia: My Favourite TVB Actress (A Fist Within Four Walls) * TVB Star Awards Malaysia: Top 15 Favourite TVB Drama Characters (A Fist Within Four Walls) * TVB Star Awards Malaysia: Favourite TVB On-screen Couple ( A Fist Within Four Walls with Ruco Chan) * TVB Star Awards Malaysia: Favourite TVB Drama Theme Song (Never Know You Are the Best with Ruco Chan) * StarHub TVB Awards: My Favourite On-screen Couple ( A Fist Within Four Walls with Ruco Chan) * StarHub TVB Awards: My Favourite TVB Theme Song (Never Know You Are the Best with Ruco Chan) * StarHub TVB Awards: My Favourite TVB Actress (A Fist Within Four Walls) * StarHub TVB Awards: My Favourite TVB On-screen Couple ( House of Spirits with Bobby Au Yeung * People's Choice Television Awards: Nominated - Best Actress (A Fist Within Four Walls)

2017

: Nominated op 5- Best Actress (The Unholy Alliance) * TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated op 5- Most Popular Female Character (The Unholy Alliance) * TVB Star Awards Malaysia: Favourite TVB On-screen couple (The Unholy Alliance with Ruco Chan) * TVB Star Awards Malaysia: Top 17 Favourite TVB Drama Characters (The Unholy Alliance) * TVB Star Awards Malaysia: Nominated op 5- Favourite TVB Show Host (The Sisterhood Traveling Gang with

, Elaine Yiu, Selena Lee and Paisley Wu) * StarHub TVB Awards: My Favourite TVB Female Drama Characters ( The Unholy Alliance) * SINA Weibo Star Award Awesome Variety Show * People's Choice Television Awards: Nominated - Best Variety and Information Show

2018

* Jade Solid Gold Awards: Honour Award (Deep in the Realm of Conscience's "Regretless") * TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated op 5- Best Actress (Deep in the Realm of Conscience) * TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated op 5- Most Popular Female Character (Deep in the Realm of Conscience) * TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated op 3- Favourite TVB Actress in Singapore (Deep in the Realm of Conscience) * TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated op 3- Favourite TVB Actress (Deep in the Realm of Conscience) * People's Choice Television Awards: Nominated - Best Actress (Deep in the Realm of Conscience)

2019

* Movie6 Movie Awards: Best New Performer (Men On The Dragon) * 38th Hong Kong Film Awards: Nominated - Best New Performer (Men On The Dragon) *

: Nominated op 10- Best Actress (Justice Bao: The First Year)

2022

: Best Dressed Female Artiste Award * TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated op 5- Best Actress ( Big White Duel II) * TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated op 10- Most Popular Female Character (Big White Duel II)

2023

: Nominated op 10- Best Actress (Narcotics Heroes)

2024

* TVB Anniversary Awards: Nominated op 10- Best Actress (No Return) *

Asian Academy Creative Awards The annual Asian Academy Creative Awards are presented every December as part of the Singapore Media Festival. They recognise excellence in the film and television industry across 16 nations in the Asia-Pacific region. History The inaugural ...

National Winner: Best Actress in a Leading Role (Narcotic Heroes) * Harper's Bazaar Beauty Awards: Harper's Bazaar Beauty Star

References

External links

* * *
Nancy Wu TVB Artiste Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Nancy 1981 births Living people TVB veteran actors Hong Kong film actresses Hong Kong television actresses 21st-century Hong Kong women singers 21st-century Hong Kong actresses